By DPA
London : Prince Philip, husband of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, was admitted to hospital for the “assessment and treatment of a chest infection,” officials said Friday.
Buckingham Palace, the seat of Britain’s monarchs, said in a statement that the 86-year-old Duke of Edinburgh was admitted to London’s private Edward VII hospital Thursday.
Prince Philip Wednesday evening was due to attend a service honouring Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to climb Mount Everest, but failed to attend because of his illness, the statement said.
According to British media reports, the Duke of Edinburgh walked into the clinic and was sitting up and working on his correspondence Thursday while in hospital.
It is expected that he will remain in hospital over the weekend. His last public engagement was last Thursday when he attended the formal send-off of French President Nicolas Sarkozy at Windsor Castle with the queen.
The Duke of Edinburgh, who was born as Prince of Greece and Denmark on Corfu, has been married to the queen since 1947. He renounced his royal title and became a naturalized British subject in 1947. During World War II he served in the British navy.
He is known both for his charms and sense of humour as well as his tendency to create embarrassments.